


A Gift Can Be Returned.

by The_Tree



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25371382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Tree/pseuds/The_Tree
Summary: The Key was energy that had emassed for centuries. Collecting uselessly, no purpose or drive to do anything. Suddenly forced into a body, a human- who feels for everything and practically sings with wants and desires and now that energy can do something. Wants to, in fact.orDawn saves Buffy with all her special Key energy and that changes stuff a little.This is only going to have a few chapters, exploring a little plot bunny I thought of when watching The Gift episode.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	A Gift Can Be Returned.

Buffy kissed Dawn on the cheek then turned, fearlessly charging to her death.  
Her sister’s last words echoed through Dawn's mind as she watched her jump off the tower: her only remaining family leaving her. Her throat full of grief and her heart yearning for her family whole again, she inhaled deeply then parted her lips: a shrill and piercing scream escaping. The sound tore itself from her throat, clawing, scratching, wrenching itself out of her. Those on the ground heard it and looked up and saw Buffy’s falling body. As one, they all held their breaths - nausea and disbelief surging through them in an instant.  
In the few seconds before her inevitable death, as she fell in midair, for a second, Buffy smiled - and felt free. Then, hearing the sound of Dawn's pain she broke, forced into the reality that she was leaving her sister as their mother had only months before. Giles looked up, watching his slayer, the daughter of his heart, falling to his death. Then he saw nothing. No portal. No Buffy. Nothing.  
For, as much as Dawn’s body, mind, and soul were forged from Buffy, her spirit was thousands of years old, pure energy that has sat apathetic - without purpose- for longer than the written word. And it heard - felt- the single-minded want this person who it was, and wasn’t, screamed. And it obeyed; manipulating space and fact, bringing the chosen girl and the pretend girl into another place; a new reality made entirely on the energy it was.  
Hot, excruciating pain tore through Buffy’s body, her eyes shooting open. Her mouth opened in a silent shout: stopping half a second later and panting with relief at the sudden relief from the pain stopping.  
She fell a couple of metres the breath forced out of her. Groaning, she pushed herself up to her hands and knees before dragging herself up to standing. Was she dead? The pull and burn of her overworked muscles told her she was alive, her mind insisted she should be dead.  
“Buffy?” she turned to the call of her sister behind her. Rushing over, she fell to her knees next to the curled up form of Dawn on the floor.  
“Dawn?” the girl in question sat up and looked at her. “What's happening? Did you jump, too?”  
“B-Buffy? I don’t know.. You jumped a-and I couldn’t do anything. You just turned and left me on the tower.” Dawn’s eyes teared up and she started sobbing, loud painful sobs that wracked her entire body. They lasted a minute, comforted by the hold of Buffy, before stopping - the silence interrupted by the hiccups and sniffs of Dawn recovering.  
“You left me,” Dawn looked up and glared, her brow scrunched up,” You turned around, you left me there!” She screamed and pushed Buffy away from her.  
“Dawn, I had to. It needed blood, our blood.” Buffy tried to reason, reaching towards Dawn. Dawn slapped her sister’s hand away, “You should’ve let me.”  
“How can you say that- you’re my little sister; I would die for you, I would do anything to keep you safe.”  
“I’m not your little sister,” Dawn angrily wiped the tears off her face, ”I’m no one, just a ball of energy - this is all because of me.”  
“Dawn, any one of us would die for you, we all love you. This is not your fault.” Again, Buffy reached towards Dawn in comfort, only to be swatted away once more.  
“Get away from me,” she seethed through her teeth,” Get away from me!” Buffy flinched away from her sister. Dawn collapsed on the floor and faced away from Buffy, sobbing into her hands.  
Buffy sighed, she never knew how to handle her sister. Her lower lip trembled, her eyes burnt and she swallowed, scrunched her eyes shut and counted to ten. Afterwards, her throat felt sore and her eyes still watered, but she did not cry. Dawn sniffed and released pained moans, Buffy set her shoulders and went to her again. “Dawn,” she turned to glare at her sister who only smiled in response,” we have fought our whole lives and it does not matter if that is 15 years or a few months. I would die for you Dawn, I love you.” Buffy suddenly had arms full of her younger sister.  
“You can’t leave me, not like mom did.” Buffy lent her head against her sister’s and let herself cry with her.  
“I won’t.”

Buffy and Dawn woke up curled around each other. Stretching and yawning, they sat up and looked around themselves. They could not see much, only dark that seemed to go on all around, they looked down and saw a reflective surface, as if they sat on a pool of water, but it was warm to the touch.  
“Buffy...” Dawn looked to her big sister, ”Buffy, where are we?”  
“I don’t know,” Buffy stood up,” Let's find out.”


End file.
